International Waterfall Day will be celebrated on June 16th.  It was created in 2020 by Bob Matthews from Rochester, NY.  He and his wife check out waterfalls wherever they go, and he says, "I've never seen a waterfall I didn't like." 

Waterfalls are formed when a riverbed suddenly changes from soft to hard rock.  Rapids are created causing the faster erosion of the soft rock and the elevation of the hard rock above the streambed.  After a very long time - many years! - a vertical drop will eventually form, ergo a waterfall!   

In the late 1600s Belgian missionary Louis Hennepin visited North America and created early descriptions of Niagra Falls and Saint Anthony Falls, the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi River.  Niagara Falls water is so clear that it can be used as drinking water!   

The world's largest waterfall lies under the Denmark Strait, which separates Iceland and Greenland.  At the bottom of the strait are a series of cataracts(waterfalls) that begin 2,000 feet under the strait's surface and plunge to 10,000 feet at the southern tip of Greenland....almost a 2-mile drop!   The height of the Denmark Strait cataract is about 11,500 feet and the largest waterfall on land is 3,212 feet.... quite a difference!

There are several types of waterfalls.

• Plunge: the water flows vertically losing contact with the bedrock surface
• Horsetail: vertically flowing water maintains some contact with the bedrock
• Cataract: a large powerful waterfall
• Multi-step: a series of waterfalls roughly the same size each with its own sunken plunge pool 
• Block: water descends from a wide stream or river  
• Cascade: water drops on a series of rock steps
• Segmented: distinctly separate flows of water form as it descends
• Tiered: water descends in a series of distinct steps or falls 
• Punchbowl: waterfalls in a constructed form and then spreads out in a wider pool 
• Fan: Water spreads horizontally as it falls maintaining contact with bedrock
• Ephemeral waterfalls only flow after rain or significant snowmelt.

Waterfalls are beautiful and amazing and there is a religious significance to waterfalls.   "Misogi" means "water cleansing" in Japanese.  A popular Shinto practice in Japan is when people stand under a waterfall to purify their souls.  Waterfalls are loud.  The roar from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe can be heard from 25 miles away!  Some waterfalls freeze giving mountaineers the opportunity to practice and test their skills.   

Waterfalls are sources of power.  Hydroelectricity can be generated from naturally existing waterfalls.  However, most hydroelectric plants get water from man-made falls.  By building dams the flow of water is restricted into channels where the water can power turbines.  Hamilton, Ontario is home to more than 100 waterfalls and is called the Waterfall Capital of the World.  There is no specific name for the study of waterfalls, though it is popular to describe studying waterfalls as "waterfallology".

We would like to share with you two of our waterfall images.  

"Sol Duc Falls I" is called the most beautiful falls in the Olympic National Park in Washington.  It is a segmented plunge falls. 

You can hear the thundering sounds of the falls before you see them.  Depending on the water flow it is a three or four-prong waterfall that you view from above. 

It falls 50 feet into a slot canyon and eventually flows into the Pacific Ocean at La Push.

"Takakkaw Falls", which translates to "magnificent" in Cree, is a tiered horsetail fall.  It is located in the Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada.  It consists of 4 drops and is fed by the Daly Glacier which is part of the Waputik Icefield.  Its total vertical height is between 991 and 1224 feet, making it the second tallest waterfall in Canada.  The main drop of the falls is 833 feet high, and the watercourse is the Yoho River.  Yoho River eventually flows into the Kicking Horse River which drops over Wapta falls and then flows northwest into the Columbia River in Golden, Cananda and eventually south into the United States and the Pacific Ocean.  

These images are available in tabletop to wall size, triple matted and with or without a frame.  The matted versions are yours at a 10% discount and the framed matted versions in sizes 11x14 and larger can be yours at a 15% discount.

Visit our website, www.throughthelensoflee-margaret.com for available sizes and prices.

Stop by and see us on Monday through Friday from 10a.m. to 12 noon and 2:30p.m. to 5p.m.

The gallery is open for arranged Saturday appointments.  Call us at 904-387-8710 to schedule your special visit.  Come see us and order now.

"Waterfalls are exciting because they have power, they have rainbows, they have songs, and they have boldness and craziness."

Mehmet Murat iIdan